Machine for the manufacture of fences



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J 'ZENGEL.

MACHINE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OI FENCES.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR "W. {m W 9 2 M M l BY ATTRNEY n4 Prrzns. PMlo-Lkhognphw. Washington :1 c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheet;sSheet J. ZENGEL. V MACHINE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FENCES. No. 289,490. Patented Dec. 4, 1883 v \0 I Ta 1t 2 WITNESSES-1 I INVENTDR- ATTbBNEY NV PETERS. mlo-Lnho n mr. Washinglomlil i UNITEDQSTATES.

P TENT FFICE.

" JOsE'rH ZENGEL, or DAYTON, OHIO.

MACHINE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FENCES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 289,490, dated December 4, 1883. i

Application filed August 13, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOsEPH ZENGEL, a citizen. of the United States, and: a resident of Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for the Manufacture of Fences, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an improvement in machines for making fences of the kind which consist of pickets or pa-lings connected by twisted wire; and it consists of the elements hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The invention will be more fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure l is a top view of a machine embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of same. Fig. 3 is a view, looking at the rear of the machine, of the gearing for imparting an intermittent rotary movement to the wiretwister shafts. Fig. 4 is a view, looking at the front side of the frame L, of the arrangement of the levers for moving the pickets, op-' erating the feed-belts, and preventing the rebound of the pickets; and Fig. 5 is a transverse section on a line with the inner edge of the feed-table, showing the stops Sand the ratchet mechanism for movingthe feed-belts.

In the drawings, Adenotes the .feedtable for thepickets, which consists ofa suitable platform and endless traveling belts B, mounted upon pulleys O, the forward pulleys being secured upon the axle or shaft D, upon the inner end of which (see Fig. .5) is fastened a ratchet-wheel, E, arranged to be engaged by a pawl, F. The pawl F is secured upon a rocking lever, G, to which is securedthe upper end of the vertical lever H, the lower end of which is pivoted to one end of the rocking beam I. Upon the other end of the rock-shaft I issecured the bell-crank lever J, which is pivoted on the frame L, and has one of its arms extending upward in proper relation to be engaged by thecrank M, formed on the revolving shaft N, which. receives its motion from the main driving-wheel of the machine, as hereinafter described. The rocking movement imparted to the beam I by the crank M, through ,the bell-crank lever J, is communicated to the rod Hand arm G, and operates through them and the pawl F to rotate the ratchet E and axle D. Upon the revolving arm or shaft N is secured a spring or bar, Q, which, as the shaft is revolved, comes in contact with the arm K on the rock-shaft R, secured upon the edge of the frame L, andto which are secured the ends of the stops S, which project I through the said frame and terminate in proper relation to arrest the pickets being treated by the machine. When the spring Q comes in contact with the arm K of the rock-shaft R,

its effect is to rock the shaft upward to the front, whereby the stops S are depressed; and after the said spring Q passes the arm K, the

rock-shaft Rwill return to its former position,

owing to the superior specific gravity of the arm K acting upon the shaft, thereby elevat ing the stops S in. proper position to come in contact with the pickets.

At the front end of l the travelingbelts for feedingthe pickets tot-he machine is a feed board or table, WV, adjacent to the outer end of which is thevertical knocker-rod X, the upper end of which is in proper relation to be engaged by the crank M as the shaft N is rotated, and which, as the said shaft is rotated. is alternately forced outward from the feedboard, and then allowed to escape from its con tact with the crank M, at which time it will spring inward, knocking a picket from the feed-board across between the wires, hereinafter described, and then remain at rest until it is again drawn from the said feed-board by the revolving crank M. The shaft .N' is in the present instance connected with the end or forms a part of the driving-shaft 0, but may receive its motion from the said shaft through other connections, if desired. The drivingshaft 0 is suitably mounted and power maybe applied to it in any suitable manner. Upon the shaft 0 is secured the beveled pinion Z and the spur-wheel a, which spur-wheel a communicates motion from the driving shaft 0, through a train of gear-wheels, b, to the hollow frames 0, mounted uponshafts cl and carrying the reels of wire, e. Upon the front portions of the shafts d are rigidly secured the disks f, having upon opposite edges guide-slots y, for

the .wire from the reels 6. 'If desired, a guide,

h, may be provided upon the arms a, for the purpose of guiding the wire. The shafts d receive an intermittent motion independently of the motion of the hollow frames 0. Upon the shafts d are intermeshing gear-wheels i,which receive their motion from the spur-wheel j, mounted upon the shaft is, upon which shaft is also mounted a pinion, Z, which meshes with the intermediate pinion, m, the latter being engaged by the pinion a, secured eecentrically upon the end of the driving-shaft O. The pinion-wheel m is secured on an axle which has bearings in the meeting ends of the jointed links 19, whereby the motion of the drivingshaft is communicated, through the eccentrically-secured wheel a and the wheels m, 1, and i, to the shafts d. The beveled wheel Z engages the similar wheel, q, secured upon one end of the horizontal shaft r, which has upon its other end the driving-eccentric s, to which is secured one end of the pitman-rod s, the other end of which is pivotally secured to the rocking frame it. From the rocking frame I. extend forward through the frame L the rods 10, which carry upon their outer ends the pivoted springdogs 10 and the vertical arms a". The dogs 10 are substantially triangular in outline, and one of their faces is preserved in a vertical position, so as to engage the pickets, after they have been secured by the wire, by means of the usual flat bar-spring, w.

Below and slightly in rear of the line of the twister-disks ff are secured upon the pivots 3 y the rockinglevers lettered z and A, respectively, which are connected at their lower ends by the rod B, having a spring-connection, O, which imparts to it a spring-tension toward the lever A. The effect of the tension exerted by the spring 0 is to give the levers z A and rod B (when disconnected from other devices) the position shown in full lines in Fig. 4.

at the proper time by the tooth on the end of the pivoted arm '0, the toothed end of the said arm having a spring-tension upward,while its other end is immediately over the right-hand end of the trip J. The trip J is also pivotally secured, and its left-hand end is in proper relation to the arm H to be engaged by the shoulder K, and rotated upon its pivot dur in gthe vertical reciprocating movement of the said arm H. The purpose of the levers z and A and the connecting mechanism just de scribed is to prevent the rebound of the picket after it has been driven across between the wires by the knocker X.

In Fig. 4 I illustrate the knocker and a picket upon the feed-table, and in dotted lines the position of the picket after it has been acted upon by the knocker, and also the position which the levers z and A are caused to assume to prevent the springing back of the picket toward the feed-table. The levers z and A will be in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 4 when the picket is to be moved from the feed-table to the wires, and when the picket is struck by the knocker X it will move across the machine and come in contact with the upper end of the lever A, instantly rocking the same outward, and thereby elevating the lever z to the posi- The lower end of thelever z is adapted to be caught tion shown in dotted lines, in which position it will prevent the rebound of the picket. \Vhen the lever 2 has been elevated to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4, its lower end will have moved over and be caught by the toothed bar 4), and it is thus held until relieved by the depression of the arm H, bringing the shoulder K in contact with the trip J, after which the spring 0 will draw the levers z and A to their former position,which is that shown in full lines in Fig. 4:. The spring-dogs w and vertical bars :0 are employed to space the pickets and move the fence forward with the motion of the arms a. Between the twisters ff is supplied atable,A,whieh is sustained by the frame L and serves as a rest for the pickets after they have been thrust between the wires preparatory to being secured. At the rear end of the machine is provided a reel, E,upon which the fence, as it is made, is automatically wound, ready for shipment. Upon the outer end of the reel E is secured the ratchet-wheel F, which is adapted to be engaged by the spring-pawls G on the opposite sides thereof, one of the pawls being used as a stop while the other is secured upon the frame H ,which has a rotary motion by means of the connecting-rod I, one end of which is secured to the said frame and the other end to the rocking frame t. WVhen the frame t is rocked rearwardthat is, toward the reel Ethe connecting-rod I forces the frame H to rotate, whereby its pawl G imparts a similar motion to the ratchet F and reel E, winding the fence thereon.

In the operation of the machine above described the wire from the reels 0 is carried forward through the guides h and the twisterdisks f, and is attached to the reel E; The pickets will be placed so as to about cover the traveling feed-belts B, whereupon motion will be communicated to the driving-shaft O, the effect of which is, through the spur-wheel a and train of gearing b, to rotate the frames a,

carrying the reels 0, and to communicate motion, through the eccentric-wheel 'n and the connecting gearing, to the shafts d at the proper time. The wheel m of the gearing last aforesaid, being mounted in the rocking'links 12, will at first merely ride down the wheel Z without rotating it but when the rocking arms have reached their lowest position, the wheel Z will be rotated by the greatest eccentric portion of the wheel a moving against the gear-wheel m, andwill communicate motion to the spurgear and pinions, whereby motion is imparted to the shafts d. The motion of the driving-shaft being continued, when the greatest eceentricity of the wheel it passes the wheel on and begins to rise, it will carry with it the rocking links 9 and the said wheel m, whereby a proper communication is preserved between the gear-wheell and the shortest radius of the gear-wheel n, (the shortest lever, the shaft 0 being the center of motion.) The gear-wheel Z will thus continue its rotation until the greatest eccentricity of the gear-wheel a has about a sence 3 reached a position directly over the horizontal center of the driving-shaft 0, after which, the movement being continued, the wheel m will commenceto ride down the wheel Zwithout rotating it, and will thus proceed until the greatest eccentricity of the wheel 1?. projects toward the wheel Z and starts topass the transverse line of center on the shaft 0. At this time thewheel m, having reached its lowest position, will be rotated by the wheel a and communicate its motion to the gear-wheel Z, spur-gear j, and wheels 2', to the shafts d. It will be noted that while the wheel m is merely riding down the wheel Z there will be no movement communicated to the shafts d, and that at all other times the shafts dwill be rotated. The purpose of this intermittent movement is that the wire-twisters f will not rotate continuously, but only after the knocker has thrust, a picket between the wires and then stop until the picket has been forced forward and another picket driven between the wires in the customary way.

WVhile the twister-shafts cl have an intermittent motion,the frames carrying the reels chave a continuous motion, and the wires thereupon are prevented from beingtwisted around the.

frames or broken, by reason of the fact that wvhen the greatest eccentricity of the wheel 01. (the longest lever) is in contact with thewheel m itwill cause a more rapid movement in the gearing communicating motion to the shafts d, and thus make up for the time lost while the wheel m is riding down the wheel 2 without rotating it. The shaft 0 is the center of motion for the wheel a, and it is plain that the greatest eccentric portion of the wheel a is obliged to pass the wheel min the same length of time as that occupied by the smallest side of the wheel 9t in passing said wheel m, and will hence move more rapidly, causing an accelerated motion in the gearing leading to the shafts (I. As the pickets are fed forward on the belts B, the revolving shaft 0 communicates motion to the arm N, which, in revolving, brings its crank M, as hereinbefore described, alternately against the end of the knocker X, and when it is released therefrom the said knocker will strike a picket and drive it to the opposite side of the machine between the wires to be twisted. This occurs whenthe arms a are against the frame L, and after a picket has beendriven between the wires the twisters f will commence to .rotate and twist the wire around the same, whereupon the arms a will move forward, carrying this twisted portion and the picket toward the reel E. The

forward and backward movements of the arms I ratchet I secured upon the end of the front shaft carrying the pulleys upon which the belts are mounted.

During the operation of the machine the forward movement of the frame it and arms it forces the spring-dogs w against the picket ahead of the one last secured, and thus moves the fence toward the reel E. Upon the return of the frame t and arms a to their formerposition the inclined edge of the dogs w will come in contact with the last picket secured, and, owing to this, the dogs w are rotated on their pivot until their longest side assumes a horizontal position, and they are then permitted to pass beneath the picket, after which the springs 10 will return the dogs to their initial position.

It has been hereinbefore described that the frames 0, carrying the reels e,have a continuous motion, while the shafts (l, to which the twisters are secured, have an intermittent movement. The object of this organization is to avoid the necessity of stopping the frames 0 at every introduction of a picket between the wires, and thenstarting them again; The

number and weight of the reels 6, (eight or ten being usually required for a fence of full s1ze,)

together with the momentum they attain when in operation, render their frequent stoppage a disadvantage, which is incident to all ma chines of this class in which the reels and twisters are connected with the same shafts and have simultaneous movement.

By placing the reels and twisters on independent carrying frames or shafts, asI have. described, the reels may be permitted to have a continuous motion, while the stoppage of the twisters alone is required upon the insertion of the pickets between the wires, and these, not being burdened with the weight of the reels, may be thus operated with facility.

I do not limit myself to the exact construction shown, but reserve the right to modify the same in minor details within the scope of the invention.

lVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a machine for making fences, the traveling feed-belts mounted upon pulleys which receive their motion from the crank end of the revolving arm N through the series of levers acting upon the pawl F and ratchet E, substantially as set forth.

2. The rocking frame t and the arms a,

carrying the dogs -w and vertical arms 00, in

combination with the connecting-rod I, lever H, ratchet F, and reel E, substantially as set forth.

3. In a machine for making fences, the combination of the frames carrying the reels of wire, the shafts to which are applied the wiretwisters, and means for imparting to the frames a continuous and to the shafts an intermittent motion, substantially as setforth.

4:. In a machine for making fences, the driving-shaft O, in combination with the eccentric gear-wheel a, rocking links p, and gear- Wheels on, Z, j, and 2', for communicating inter- J and actuating-rod H, having the shoulder mittent motion to the Wire-twisters, substan- K, substantially as set forth. tially as set forth. Signed at Dayton, in the county of Mont- 5. The revolving crank-arm N, in combinagomery and State of Ohio, this 17th day of 5 tsion taith tlhe 1fock-shaftQR, caryinglghe itops July, A. D. 1883.

,an witit e s ring an arm ,w ereby the said stops inay be depressed, substan- JOSEPH ZDNGDL' Witnesses:

tially as set forth.

6. The levers z A, rod 13, spring 0, and GEO. METZ, 1o toothed arm V, in combination with the trip N. METZ. 

